俞

See also: 兪 and 侖

俞 U+4FDE, 俞 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4FDE ← 保 [U+4FDD] CJK Unified Ideographs 俟 → [U+4FDF]

Translingual

Han character

俞 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+7, 9 strokes, cangjie input 人一月弓 (OMBN), four-corner 8022₁, composition ⿱亼刖)

Derived characters

• 偷, 喻, 堬, 媮, 崳, 㡏, 愉, 揄, 渝, 㺄, 隃, 𣈥, 榆, 牏, 瑜, 䄖, 腧, 𤭷, 睮, 䃋, 褕, 緰(𦈕), 羭, 𦖭, 蝓, 諭(谕), 䜽, 𧱬, 貐, 踰, 䠼, 輸(输), 䤅, 鍮(𨱎), 䩱, 䬔(𱃞), 𩜶(𱄁), 騟(𩨈)
• 㓱, 鄃, 歈, 毹, 㼶, 覦(觎), 嵛, 萮, 𣈯, 窬, 逾, 愈, 毺, 㢏, 瘉, 䵉, 匬, 𰿵

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 105, character 21
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 703
• Dae Jaweon: page 223, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 155, character 3
• Unihan data for U+4FDE

Chinese

trad.		俞/兪
simp.		俞

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 俞
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j19961 j19962 j19963 Bronze inscriptions b13234 b13235 b13236 b13237 b13238 b13239 b13240 b13241 b13242 Small seal script s06179 Transcribed ancient scripts L30528 L30529 L30530 L02687 L02688 L02689
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (俞) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
褕	*low, *lo
偷	*l̥ʰoː
媮	*l̥ʰoː, *lo
鍮	*l̥ʰoː
緰	*l'oː, *slo
牏	*l'oː, *l'os, *lo
揄	*l'oː, *l'oːʔ, *lu, *lo
窬	*l'oː, *l'oːs, *lo
歈	*l'oː, *lo
俞	*l̥ʰus, *lo
隃	*slo, *hljo, *hljos, *lo
毹	*sro
輸	*hljo, *hljos
鄃	*hljo, *lo
腧	*hljos
逾	*lo
榆	*lo
愉	*lo
渝	*lo
瑜	*lo
蕍	*lo
覦	*lo, *los
蝓	*lo
踰	*lo
崳	*lo
羭	*lo
堬	*lo
瘉	*lo, *loʔ
萮	*lo
騟	*lo
愈	*loʔ
貐	*loʔ
喻	*los
諭	*los

In oracle bone script, it was likely a phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声) : semantic 凡 + phonetic inverted 由 (OC *lɯw), hence a form vaguely similar to 甲. It's also possible that the phonetic component is instead an ancient form of 鏃 (OC *ʔsoːɡ).

In bronze inscriptions, 凡 corrupted into 舟, and the bottom-right subcomponent of 甲 gradually corrupted into two lines 巜 (now written 刂). The upper-right subcomponent (vaguely similar to 口) was eventually stylized as (亼) and moved to the top of the character in bamboo slips. Eventually, 舟 was further corrupted into 月, arriving at the modern form.

Unrelated to 前, 刖, 巜, and 巛.

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yú (yu²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄩˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jyu⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): yì
• Eastern Min (BUC): ṳ̀
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): zou² / zy²
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): lû / jû

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yú
    • Zhuyin: ㄩˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yú
    • Wade–Giles: yü²
    • Yale: yú
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yu
    • Palladius: юй (juj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /y³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: jyu⁴
    • Yale: yùh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jy⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: yu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jyː²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yì
    • Hakka Romanization System: i^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yi²
    • Sinological IPA: /i¹¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yì
    • Hakka Romanization System: (r)i^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yi²
    • Sinological IPA: /(j)i¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: ṳ̀
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /y⁵³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: zou²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔu¹³/
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: zy²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sy¹³/

Note:

• zou2 - vernacular (incl. surname);
• zy2 - literary.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lû
    • Tâi-lô: lû
    • Phofsit Daibuun: luu
    • IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei): /lu²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jû
    • Tâi-lô: jû
    • Phofsit Daibuun: juu
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /zu²³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡zu¹³/

---

• Middle Chinese: yu

Rime
Character	俞
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	以 (36)
Final (韻)	虞 (24)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	羊朱切
Baxter	yu
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/jɨo/
Pan Wuyun	/jio/
Shao Rongfen	/io/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/juə̆/
Li Rong	/io/
Wang Li	/jĭu/
Bernhard Karlgren	/i̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yú
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jyu4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*lo/

  (Zhengzhang): /*lo/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	俞
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yú
Middle Chinese	‹ yu ›
Old Chinese	/*lo/
English	yes, agree; satisfied, at ease
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	俞
Reading #	2/2
No.	15853
Phonetic component	俞
Rime group	侯
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	逾
Old Chinese	/*lo/
Notes	金文象以銳器刳木爲舟

Definitions

俞

1. to approve; to consent
2. yes
3. to reply; to respond
4. (literary) satisfied; at ease
5. a surname

   俞大猷  ―  Yú Dàyóu  ―  Yu Dayou (Chinese general and martial artist during the Ming dynasty)

Compounds

• 伯俞泣杖
• 俞俞
• 俞允 (yúyǔn)
• 俞旨
• 俞然
• 俞跗
• 吁俞
• 吁咈都俞
• 呴俞
• 都俞吁咈

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shù (shu⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄨˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): syu³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shù
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄨˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shù
    • Wade–Giles: shu⁴
    • Yale: shù
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shuh
    • Palladius: шу (šu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂu⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: syu³
    • Yale: syu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sy³
    • Guangdong Romanization: xu³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /syː³³/

Definitions

俞

1. ^† Alternative form of 腧 (“acupoint”)

Pronunciation 3

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): chòu (chou⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄔㄡˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): cau³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chòu
    • Zhuyin: ㄔㄡˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chòu
    • Wade–Giles: chʻou⁴
    • Yale: chòu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chow
    • Palladius: чоу (čou)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: cau³
    • Yale: chau
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsau³
    • Guangdong Romanization: ceo³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɐu̯³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: trhjuwH

Rime
Character	俞
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	徹 (10)
Final (韻)	尤 (136)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	丑救切
Baxter	trhjuwH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʈʰɨuH/
Pan Wuyun	/ʈʰiuH/
Shao Rongfen	/ȶʰiəuH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʈʰuwH/
Li Rong	/ȶʰiuH/
Wang Li	/ȶʰĭəuH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ȶʰi̯ə̯uH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	chòu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	cau3

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*l̥ʰus/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	俞
Reading #	1/2
No.	15841
Phonetic component	俞
Rime group	幽
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	畜
Old Chinese	/*l̥ʰus/

Definitions

俞

1. ^† a surname

Pronunciation 4

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yù (yu⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄩˋ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yù
    • Zhuyin: ㄩˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yù
    • Wade–Giles: yü⁴
    • Yale: yù
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yuh
    • Palladius: юй (juj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /y⁵¹/

Definitions

俞

1. ^† Alternative form of 愈 (yù, “even more”)
2. ^† Alternative form of 癒 / 愈 (yù, “to recover”)

Pronunciation 5

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shū (shu¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄨ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shū
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄨ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shu
    • Wade–Giles: shu¹
    • Yale: shū
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shu
    • Palladius: шу (šu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂu⁵⁵/

Definitions

俞

1. Used in 俞兒／俞儿.

References

• (Min Nan) “Entry #41096”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

Japanese

Kanji

俞

(Hyōgai kanji)

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Readings

• On (unclassified): ゆ (yu)
• Kun: しかり (shikari)

Korean

Hanja

俞 (eum 유 (yu))

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Vietnamese

Han character

俞: Hán Nôm readings: dũ

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References

• Nom Foundation